Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers by Chef Michael R

Deer season left me with a freezer full of venison once again, so here I am playing with flavor combos and techniques. There is quite a bit of prep work to get this slow cooker going so start early enough to leave 4-5 hours of cooking time. The end result is absolutely worth the effort! 

I use venison in my stuffed peppers but you can absolutely use lean beef as well. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb ground venison or beef
• 1 yellow onion - chopped
• 5 cloves garlic - smashed & minced
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 28 oz can whole peeled plum tomatoes in puree
• 1/4 tsp crushed Aleppo pepper
• 4-5 orange and red bell peppers depending on size
• 1 cup long cook pearl barley - yields 2+ cups
• 3 cups beef stock
• 1 handful broccoli rabe - blanched and then chopped
• 1 cup baby portobello mushrooms - chopped
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dried basil
• shredded Parmesan for final garnish 

Preparation:

Bring the beef stock to a boil. Thoroughly rinse the pearl barley, add to boiling stock and simmer for 25 minutes, covered. Drain and reserve remaining stock for later.

Take one tomato from the 28 oz can and chop it up. Combine onion, garlic, tomato, Aleppo pepper and olive oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Mix, microwave 2 min on high, mix and repeat once.

Start your slow cooker on low. Cut the tops from the peppers and remove insides as best you can.

Once your peppers are prepped, get a large bowl and combine everything for the filling, including ~1/2 cup of the reserved beef stock. Mix well using hands.

At this time cut up the remaining canned tomatoes and start a gentle saute in a separate skillet. Season with salt, pepper and some garlic powder. Cook for a few minutes and transfer to the warmed up slow cooker.

Fill the peppers with meat mixture, gently pressing mix to make sure the pepper is fully filled. Place upright into pot on top of tomato base.

Cook for 4-5 hours on low.

Give each person a whole pepper for plating beauty. Cut the pepper in half and then top each half with some of the tomato base. Serve with a green vegetable of your choosing.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Cauliflower Mash by Chef Michael R

I made this mash as an alternative to the one with cheese I got from the ADA's Diabetic Food Hub as not all proteins go well with a cheese flavor. As it turns out, my version is quite versatile and goes with just about any protein. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium head cauliflower
• 1 medium yellow onion - minced
• 2-3 tbsp salted butter - as needed
• flavored bread crumbs - as needed
• salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

Cut up the cauliflower and use your preferred cooking method until the florets are moderately soft. I simmer/steam in my Guardian Service - lid on.

While the cauliflower is cooking, mince the onion and saute in a bit of olive oil until translucent and slightly browned. Set aside for later, including saute oil for flavor.

Once the cauliflower is cooked, use a potato masher to break up the florets.

Add butter and puree the cauliflower using a stick blender. Add salt, pepper, butter and maybe flavored bread crumbs until you achieve a consistency and flavor to your liking.

Finally add the sauteed onion to the mix and blend well. Set the mash aside and keep warm.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Weekend Ramble: The Health Benefits of Legumes

 Legumes.... That's such a weird name for a really great food.

Here this wonderful vegetable is introduced by Janie McQueen, an author at WebMD. 

Legumes

Written by Janie McQueen

 Medically Reviewed by Christine Mikstas, RD, LD on August 15, 2022

What Are Legumes?

Legumes are a type of vegetable. If you like beans or peas, then you’ve eaten them before. But there are about 16,000 types grown all over the world in different sizes, shapes, colors, and textures.

You can eat green beans and snow peas in their pods, fresh off the vine. With other types, the edible parts are the seeds -- or pulses -- inside the pods. Pulses can be prepared many ways: canned, cooked, dried, frozen whole, ground into flour, or split.

Legumes come from the Fabaceae, also called the Leguminosae, plant family. It’s hard to say where they started. All major cultures grew some type of legume. In Asia, red adzuki beans are crushed into a paste to make sweets. Black beans are popular in Mexico and Brazil. And you’ll find white cannellini beans in many Italian dishes.

Some common, good-for-you legumes include:

• Chickpeas
• Black beans
• Green peas
• Lima beans
• Kidney beans
• Black-eyed peas
• Navy beans
• Great Northern beans
• Pinto beans
• Soybeans
• Lentils
• Cannellini beans
• Peanuts

Legume Nutrition

Nutritional values for legumes depend on the type. For example, a half-cup (86 grams) of cooked black beans (boiled with no salt) has:

• 114 calories
• 7.6 grams of protein
• 20 grams of carbohydrates
• 0.5 grams of fat
• 0 milligrams of cholesterol
• 7.5 grams of fiber
• 1.8 milligrams of iron
• 128 micrograms of folate
• 23 milligrams of calcium
• 305 milligrams of potassium
• 60 milligrams of magnesium

Legumes are loaded with health benefits. They’re very low in fat, have no cholesterol, and have the same amount of calcium as a glass of milk. They also have:

• Lysine, an essential amino acid
• Powerful antioxidants called polyphenols
• Resistant starch, which (along with high fiber content) helps keep your blood sugar levels low

Legume Health Benefits

Studies show that legumes can:

• Guard against type 2 diabetes
• Improve glycemic and lipid control for people who have diabetes
• Lower blood pressure and cholesterol
• Help control weight
• Lower your risk of heart disease

Legume Antinutrients

Legumes also have compounds called antinutrients. These could block the way your body absorbs some nutrients. You can fight that effect by limiting how much of one food you eat at a time and by eating a lot of different healthy foods every day. Antinutrients in legumes include:

• Lectins. These can interfere with your absorption of calcium, iron, phosphorus, and zinc.
• Phytates (phytic acid). These can lower absorption of iron, zinc, magnesium, and calcium.
• Tannins. These can lower absorption of iron. 
• Saponins. These may also interfere with the way your body absorbs nutrients.

Legume Preparation and Storage

Beans have carbs called galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), which may cause gas. You can get rid of most of these by soaking and rinsing dry beans before you cook them. Rinse canned legumes, too. If you’re trying them for the first time, start with small amounts to help your body get used to the higher fiber.

The lectins in raw or undercooked beans can upset your stomach and cause nausea, diarrhea, and bloating. Because lectins are mostly on the outside of legumes, you can remove them by cooking the legumes at a high temperature or soaking them in water for a few hours.

Dried legumes -- except for a few like lentils and black-eyed peas -- need to be soaked to get them ready to cook. You can cover them in water and refrigerate overnight, or boil and set them aside at room temperature for 1 to 4 hours. To cook, boil until tender, usually around 45 minutes.

Need them now? Choose a “ready to go” or fresh legume that doesn’t need soak time. Or open up a can. Be sure to rinse them before serving.

Store dried legumes in sturdy containers with tight-fitting lids. Keep them out of sunlight in a cool, dry place.

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My hope is that this article helps my readers to include more of this healthy food in their diet. I have a White Bean Salad to get you started... ENJOY!

Have a great week, everyone, and thank you for your support!

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

                                                            Chef Michael R

Cebada Meloso with Shrimp & Chorizo

Arroz Meloso is a traditional Spanish rice dish that comes in many different flavor combinations. The recurring theme is the rice (arroz) and a creamy texture (meloso).

As you know, I have replaced rice in many dishes with pearl barley to make the meal more diabetic friendly, and so it is here that my Cebada (barley) Meloso was born. I decided to incorporate shrimp and chorizo in my version because they are two of my favorite proteins. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

•          1 cup pearl barley - rinsed in fine mesh sieve for 2 minutes
•          4 cups chicken stock
•          1/2 cup white wine – I like a Vouvre or Chenin Blanc for this dish
•          1 lge yellow onion – chopped
•          4 cloves garlic - minced 
•          1 red bell pepper - chopped 
•          1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes 
•          12 oz fully cooked Mexican chorizo - sliced 
•          12 oz large shrimp - cleaned - tail off
•          1.5 cups frozen peas 
•          salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste 
•          1 tsp smoked paprika 
•          1/4 tsp saffron – about 20 strands

Marinade for Shrimp:

•          1/4 cup olive oil 
•          salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste 
•          1/2 tsp garlic powder 
•          1/2 tsp sweet paprika
•          1/4 tsp crushed Aleppo pepper 
•          1/2 tsp dried parsley

In a bowl big enough to hold the shrimp, mix all marinade ingredients and add the shrimp. Toss until all are evenly coated, cover and place in fridge for at least an hour.

Rinse the barley in a fine mesh strainer under cool water for about 2 minutes.

Slice the pre-cooked chorizo  into bite sized pieces. Cover and return to fridge. Cut up the onions, garlic and red pepper as well, and carefully measure out the saffron with a tweezer.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven... your choice. Add the chopped onions and sautee until translucent. Add the minced garlic and diced red pepper, blend and sautee for 2 minutes. 

Add the tomatoes, salt & pepper and cook another 5 minutes. Sprinkle the smoked paprika and saffron threads, stirring continuously for 30 seconds to release their flavors. 

Pour in the pearl barley and stir it around for a couple minutes, making sure all pearls are coated. Add the stock and wine and bring everything to a boil. Add the frozen peas. 

Lower heat to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes until most but not all liquid has cooked off and the barley is tender. 

While the barley cooks, sear the chorizo in a separate skillet using some of the oil/marinade from the shrimp.

Once browned, remove chorizo and in the same pan cook the shrimp for about 90 seconds per side until just cooked through. Do not overcook the shrimp! 

Return sausage to skillet and toss for flavor blend. 

Test the barley for cook.... If the mouthfeel is good and the mix is slightly soupy, add the shrimp & chorizo and gently blend. Simmer on low for a few minutes allowing the proteins to add their flavors. Adjust the liquid if needed. 

Serve with a salad and/or a green vegetable.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!